All art tells a story… My art tells stories of the past, present and future. At times I use it to spark a dialogue between the temporal and the divine. Other times I use it to explore stories of race, identity, and social justice. The majority of these stories are molded in clay, some are carved in wood and written and paper.
Clay is my story-telling medium of choice. Highly responsive, versatile, and delightfully tactile, clay is a primordial instrument of expression that has allowed us to discover and understand cultures and ideas long forgotten. From the ancient Nok culture of Western Africa to the Anasazi Indians of the southwest desert, ceramic sculptures continue to carry the stories of bygone peoples and civilization.
My work allows me to communicate the stories of people to whom I am deeply connected and indebted. More precisely, much of my figurative ceramic work celebrates the American experience from the perspective of an African-American artist. With my series of sculptural busts dedicated to important African-American cultural figures, I hope to add to what Chinua Achebe refers to as ‘a balance of stories’ about the experience of African-Americans and their allies at pivotal moments in American history. These clay busts pay homage to some of the great change-makers whose struggles paved the way toward a more ideal America. I am continuously inspired by those who challenge authority and brutality, those who refuse to accept externally imposed limitations and seek to carve their own path towards an improved future.
I am fascinated by the human form and particularly drawn to the emotionally expressive range of the human face. My work is also informed by symbols and ideas I have gathered from my experiences around the world. My figurative work focuses primarily on faces and forms with African characteristics: kinky, locked and braided hair, headwraps and crowns, wide noses and full lips. The faces and the frames in which they are set are often embellished with African and African diaspora-inspired symbols and design motifs: face paint, Adinkra symbols, cowrie shells, piercings, crowns, headwraps and the use of urban objects referencing black spaces.
My work represents the totality of my interests, my passions, my experiences… My stories.